A Long Life Prayer for Choje Lama Rabsang written by Mingyur Rinpoche

A Long Life Prayer for Choje Lama Rabsang written by Mingyur Rinpoche

No man, woman, creature or a thing is an island. We know it yet we many times forget it. We are all connected in this miraculous net of causes and conditions, in other words we are together in this deep and sometimes very confusing karmic soup. Our lifespan is something that is usually not in our hands, and we don’t know when it is our time to go. We try to accept it and live with that fact, yet at the same time we try to eat healthy, exercise and do the things that are recommended to safeguard us a long life. One’s life is precious to each and everyone, and we usually want to hold onto it as long as we can. As Buddhist practitioners we also have a good reason for our wish and aspiration: so that we can do more practice while the conditions are good for it!

Then there are those, who don’t seem to make such a big fuss about their own lives, but their lives are precious to many others and those are the ones who make a big fuss about it! Not because they are better than someone else in ultimate sense. It has more to do with the qualities they manifest: what they have realised, what they carry in their hearts, and what they can deliver to others. One can sense the scent of compassion, love and wisdom in these beings. We are drawn to that like bees are to flowers, because we know there is something there that is truly good. These people are holding the treasure of the liberating Dharma in their mind streams. This treasure is not to be kept there, but they are willing to pass it on to anyone who has the willingness to receive it, so that we too can become the carriers of that treasure. That is very precious.

When listening to the teachings of karma, cause and effect, one comes to a greater understanding how the lives of students and teachers are interconnected. If we truly appreciate something, that will increase. If we have a genuine quest and hunger for the truth, there will be someone to guide us along the way, we just need to keep the fire burning and not to give up. If we respect the fellow practitioners, the community, if we have love and care for each other and maintain the harmony, we are creating the conditions for having a teacher among us. These kind of things are not mentioned often by teachers, understandably, but one can hear a bit from here and there. It does make sense. Buddha taught that everything is a manifestation of our mind and when exploring one’s mind, it becomes obvious.

But the long life prayers? We are taught to make aspirations. In Buddhist practice it is taught that the prayers are not for worship, they are not for someone “out there”. They are aspirations, they are something that are giving a direction to our wandering, non-virtuous mind; they are something that when repeated, the message starts to feel more real. It has the ring of truth. And maybe one day we know it to be the truth.

Requesting a long life prayer for Lama Rabsang

To receive a long life prayer is not a common thing. It is usually written by someone with high realisation as an acknowledgement that this person at hand is someone, who has qualities that are beneficial for beings, thus they should stay among us for as long as possible. The long life prayers and aspirations we then say for our teachers, can act like a continuous reminder and an acknowledgement of someone’s positive qualities, it can be a way of showing our appreciation, it can create a momentum of virtue in our mind stream, and it can be like a deep aspiration to learn and to know the truth also oneself, and to be of benefit for all beings.

A group of students requested a long life prayer from His Eminence 12th Tai Situ Rinpoche for Lama Rabsang already in 2008, when they were on a pilgrimage in India. Tai Situ Rinpoche spoke the aspiration prayer in English and it was recorded. This prayer became a long life prayer for Lama Rabsang and it has been said for 10 years among his students, who deeply wish him to continue his Dharma activities and stay long among us.

Now, out of the continuous, sincere and heartfelt requests of a student, Lama Rabsang’s other guru, Mingyur Rinpoche, has written a traditional form of long life prayer to Lama Rabsang. He wrote it on 13th March 2017 in Nepal, Kathmandu, and the hand written piece was then brought by this student to India in April from where it found its way to Palpung Wales. It has been translated by Lama Rabsang’s long time friend, Lama Tsultrim.

How truly amazing and wonderful it is, now that both his gurus, His Eminence Tai Situ Rinpoche and Very Venerable Mingyur Rinpoche have given him this kind of blessing, encouragement and support on his Dharma path, and we as the students have one more method in use to keep this precious Dharma teacher and guide among us!

May everything be auspicious!

Mingyur Rinpoche’s hand written long life prayer for Choje Lama Rabsang

A LONG LIFE PRAYER FOR CHOJE LAMA RABSANG

CHOKSUM RABJAM JAMTSOI DEN JIN JI

Through the power of the truth of the vast (profound) ocean of three jewels,

PALDEN LAMA RABTU ZANGPO GANG

may the glorious, exceedingly auspicious Lama’s, (Lama Rabsang),

KU TSEH TEN CHING TUK SHIN DUN KUN DRUB

lifespan remain firm, may his wishes be fulfilled,

DZEH TRIN CHOK DU TAH RU CHAB JUR CHIK

may his dharma-activities pervade to the very edge of space and time.

This was written by Mingyur on 13th March 2017 in response to many forceful exhortations.